Belgian Seef / Seefbier Recipe?

[midlantic]

Not too long ago, the Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie revived an old style called Seef or Seefbier:

http://belgianbeerspecialist.blogspot.com/2012/11/seefbier-and-old-antwerp-style-is-reborn.html

http://thepintpundits.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/seef-bier-antwerpse-brouw-compagnie/

Evidently, it's just starting to be exported to the US, but I haven't seen it locally.

Anyone have the wildest guess as to a recipe? The articles mention that recipes were mostly lost in WWII, and they don't say much more than it is lightly hopped and has barley, wheat, oats and buckwheat.

It's gotten not terribly enthusiastic reviews at ratebeer and beeradvocate, but I tend to take those with a grain of salt, especially when it comes to imports; I think the following quote gives a hint why it might not appeal to those raters:

The brewer is quoted as saying: "Seefbeer is completely against
all current
beer trends in Belgium: everybody is now making extra hopped,
high ABV beers, or other more 'experienced' beers such as sour
brews. Seefbeer is the complete opposite: instead of an complex
or extreme 'sipping' beer, it is a very mild, soft and balanced brew,
with a subtle taste and similar aromas. The bitterness is even lower
that a standard Belgian lager, at 17 ibu."

Anyway, if anyone has the vaguest idea about how to put something like this together, please share your thoughts. I'm guessing it's got a decent percentage of wheat and only a little oats, but as far as the buckwheat I'm stumped and my knowledge of Belgian yeasts is very limited, so I couldn't begin to guess what might be good candidates.

 

[motorneuron]

It definitely sounds interesting. Of course, the first thing you really have to do is taste the beer. It would be very hard (not to mention quixotic) to clone it without tasting it.

It does claim to be bottle-conditioned, and there's a good chance (especially since it has only a moderate level of alcohol, and it's cloudy) that it's the same yeast as it's fermented with. So if you can get your hands on a bottle to taste, you could try culturing from the bottle.

Beyond that, the pictures show a light color, and the second site said it has an orangey aroma--though the first site said it's a bit like wit, but stronger and without as much spice, so I don't know whether there is coriander or orange peel.

My only experience with buckwheat is in the form of kasha, but kasha is toasted. I'd guess that in a light beer, you might want to use a more raw form.

 

[tailleur]

Have you had any luck finding a sampe recipe? I've been searching also to the point of tracking down a distributor in St. Louis(i live in Springfield, Mo). Probably need to make a trip up there just to get a beer. I even emailed Jon Van Dyck and he said "isnt part of the fun experimenting and tasting?" True, but you have to know what you're shooting for....

I found this on one website;

" the beer was made with a blend of malted barley, wheat, buckwheat and oats, along with locally-grown Belgian hops.

He couldn’t recreate the beer without yeast and he wanted an authentic culture. Leuven has a yeast bank with samples of every-known Belgian culture and the scientists came to the conclusion that the yeast used to ferment Seef was a mutated version of baker’s yeast"

Belgian hops include Groene Bel, Nordgaard and Record, none of which i have heard of. Might use the traditional Saaz, Halertau or even Goldings for aroma.

 

[midlantic]

Prompted by your post, I did another search, and this is the only thing I found:

http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/seef-streets

It looks like a decent enough starting point.

The articles I've read all put barley as the first listed ingredient, so maybe I'd do a bit more barley and less wheat than is in that recipe, but that's just a stab in the dark. The descriptions I've read also suggest more hop flavor, so maybe I'd move it a bit later in the boil. That's also just a guess.

If I were experimenting any time soon, I'd be tempted to bump up the percentage of buckwheat a bit just to help me identify the taste, since I've never used it, but sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.

Somehow 550 doesn't seem the right yeast, but I don't make many Belgians so it might make sense to go with something fairly predictable.

I can't say I'll be making this soon, but if I can ever track down the bottled version, it might be an inspiration.

 

[Albionwood]

I guess that recipe has been changed, since it does not show any buckwheat in the grain bill. Anyone have a buckwheat suggestion?